A man on trial threatened to rape a female garda and her unborn child, she has claimed.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors conference, in Mayo, heard about terrifying about abuse members of the force are faced with.

Speaking at the conference, General Secretary of AGSI, John Jacob said: "A colleague in Dublin phoned me up the other day and told me that every time a particular individual is in court, she is advised after the court case because the individual has threatened to rape her and her unborn child."

The conference also heard how the closure of 95 garda stations has damaged the gardai's relationship with local communities.

AGSI also revealed that morale in the force is at an all time low.

As well as this, over 90% of members want to take work-to-rule industrial action to make sure their concerns over pay restoration are taken seriously.

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And almost 75% of members would be behind regular pickets at the Dáil.

Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan is set to attend the conference in Westport today.

AGSI President-elect, Antoinette Cunningham said the government hasn't served people well by moving gardai from rural to urban areas.

She added that some stations don't exist anymore after being sold for little money, while others like Stepaside in south Dublin should never have been shut.